Secretary of State meets with the Federation of Small Businesses to discuss business opportunities for Northern Ireland

FSB was delighted to welcome Chris Heaton-Harris MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to their Belfast offices recently.

Alan Lowry, FSB’s NI policy chair, hosted the meeting alongside Roger Pollen, head of FSB Northern Ireland and a number of FSB members from a broad spectrum of businesses.

During the meeting the FSB leader highlighted: ‘We need to ensure that the huge amount of international goodwill for Northern Ireland that is being renewed on the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement is harnessed to maximise every opportunity.’

Speaking following the meeting, Alan said: “I was delighted that the Secretary of State was able to come to FSB’s Belfast offices to hear directly from businesses about the challenges they are facing and the opportunities that lie ahead, both from the implementation of the Windsor Framework as well as the stalled political process at Stormont.

“FSB lobbied relentlessly for changes to improve the NI Protocol, so we were greatly encouraged by the efforts the UK government and the EU made - firstly to understand the issues and then to reach agreement in the Windsor Framework to provide joint solutions.

“Our meeting with the Secretary of State let us explore the implementation and potential operationalisation of the Windsor Framework, which we want to succeed so that it provides certainty for businesses. To ensure that happens, businesses need to understand how it will actually be applied, as officials continue to work through the detail of transforming political agreement into operational requirements. Getting that balance right will be crucial.

“The Secretary of State engaged openly with FSB members around the boardroom table and we emphasised the need to guard against the ‘gold-plating’ of regulations whereby over-zealous interpretation and application of a political agreement can cause new problems for businesses keen to get on with doing business within the UK internal market and the EU single market.

“We also raised the inequity of businesses in the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors in England and Wales being able to avail of a 75% discount on their business rates, yet in Northern Ireland, where the need is equally great, our small businesses in these sectors are currently getting no assistance. We made the point that although this might best be achieved by restoration of the NI Executive, it would be intolerable for SMEs to be punished and damaged during the hiatus until that occurs.

“Another major issue we raised was the disparity in childcare provision between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, which feeds directly into our grim statistic of having substantially higher economic inactivity than anywhere else in these islands. We recognise that has to change, but to do so we need to help those who want to get into work or start up a new business. The provision of proper childcare support is a vital component in the overall plan. Very regrettably this is another area where the lack of having an Executive is actively halting progress.

“With the anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement upon us it was also important to look to the future as well as marking the past. Members were keen to emphasise the appetite for success that small businesses have and how important it is to create the right environment for growth. We need to ensure that the huge amount of international goodwill that is being renewed on this anniversary is harnessed, so that when potential investors arrive seeking to invest, we are properly geared up to present a compelling case and maximise every opportunity that comes our way.

“We look forward to continuing to engage positively with the Secretary of State and his colleagues in the coming days and weeks, beginning with the arrival of President Biden and other political leaders in the coming days as they mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.”